Saints Aerodrome, was a temporary

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

airfield in France, used by a significant number of units of the

Air Service, United States Army The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

. It was located North of

Saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

, in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in north-central

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Overview

The airfield was one of the many built to cope with the German offensive towards the river Marne which started in late May 1918. The first units to fly from the airfield were French "escadrilles", flying missions for the resisting French troops. The newly operational American

I Corps Observation Group The I Corps Observation Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France after the 1918 Armistice with Germany ...

arrived on 29 June with

1st Aero Squadron First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

12th Aero Squadron The 12th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reco ...

, while

88th Aero Squadron The 88th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical rec ...

stayed at Ourches, joining the Group later at Francheville. The stay was brief as the whole Group already moved and met together at Francheville Aerodrome, north of Coulommiers, on 6 July. The 1st Pursuit Group moved into Saints shortly afterwards (9 July) with its four pursuit (fighter) squadrons and began flying offensive combat patrols over the Aisne-Marne Sector. From Saints, the group engaged in combat at the moment when the Allied armies were beginning to push back the German troops, a reverse move that would end with the Armistice on 11 November. As the front line was moving eastwards, the Group used Coincy Aerodrome as an advance airfield, as soon as the German flying units had left it on 1 August. By early September the front had moved quiet far from Saints and the 1st Pursuit Group moved up to Rembercourt Aerodrome to get closer to action. As the 1st Pursuit Group moved out, the Saints Aerodrome had become useless and was abandoned, soon to be returned to agricultural use. Today it is a series of cultivated fields located north of Saints. The airfield was located to the north of the Départmental 15 (D15), with no indications of its wartime use.

Known units assigned

* Headquarters,

, 29 June – 6 July 1918 *

(Observation) 29 June – 6 July 1918 *

(Observation) 29 June – 6 July 1918 * Headquarters,

1st Pursuit Group First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, 9 July – 1 September 1918 * 27th Aero Squadron (Pursuit) 9 July – 3 September 1918 *

94th Aero Squadron The 94th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service fighter squadron that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I.. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 1st O ...

(Pursuit) 9 July – 1 September 1918 *

95th Aero Squadron The 95th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. It was the first American pursuit (fighter) squadron to fly in combat on the Western Front, begi ...

(Pursuit) 9 July – 2 September 1918 *

147th Aero Squadron The 147th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 1st Pursuit Group, First United States Army. I ...

(Pursuit) 9 July – 1 September 1918

References

* Series "D", Volume 2, Squadron histories,. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

External links

{{authority control World War I sites of the United States World War I airfields in France

Overview

Known units assigned

See also

References

External links